This volume evaluates processes of change and reform in public service delivery in a range of states and sectors over the last decade. Demonstrating how reforms unfolded in a highly complex environment laden with uncertainty, it points to the importance of contextual factors in shaping reform choices as well as the role of leadership in fashioning strategies for change. Detailed studies showcase how reforms in public service delivery have improved prospects for economic growth and poverty alleviation in Bihar. They discuss how the reforms have aided the restructuring of public sector enterprises and the power sector in West Bengal. These reforms have facilitated Gujarat’s emergence as one of India’s fastest growing states. The studies further explore the issue of improving regulation in infrastructure, particularly in telecommunications, ports, and power. They also assess the challenges facing urban service delivery—in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Patna—particularly in the context of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. The book also examines India’s readiness to adopt the executive agency model for delivering public services in a more autonomous and accountable fashion. Finally, it analyses some key lessons from other countries for the implementation of the country’s pioneering right to information law. The volume underscores the importance of ideas, the capacity of the state, and building on incremental changes over time as critical elements of the reform process. Contributors # Vikram K. Chand # S.K. Das # Sumir Lal # Darshini Mahadevia # Toby Mendel # Rahul Mukherji # Aseema Sinha